On Friday evening, March 1st, Reading Family Aid was astonished to receive a cheque for £12,225 from Reading Golf Club. Together with an enormous amount of toys donated to our 2023 'Toys and Teens' appeal, it forms the biggest contribution ever made from one organisation in one year to Reading Family Aid. We are immeasurably grateful and thank the members of Reading Golf Club with all our hearts, on behalf of the hundreds of children who will benefit . In January last year we were contacted by Reading Golf Club's Ladies Vice Captain, Hilary Rusby, asking for information about Reading Family Aid. She and the Club Vice Captain, Cathy Jones, were looking for a local charity to support during their Captains' Year from April 2023. Once they heard all about the work that we do, they decided to support us for the year. They organised several events which were specifically to raise funds for us and also other events where they also included a raffle, cake stall etc. The golf and fundraising year started with the Captains Drive off where members paid to guess the combined lengths of the drives of Cathy, Hilary and Alex Stronach, the Junior Captain. At about 4.30AM on Wednesday June 21st Jason Macbeth,a member of Reading Golf Club, set out on a marathon mission to complete 100 holes in a day - that's that's about 5.5 rounds, walking about 20 miles and hitting the ball over 500 times. He succeeded in his mission at around 9PM that evening after having only two short breaks during the day. He was accompanied in this marathon by the equally amazing, Hilary Rusby, who completed an astonishing 65 holes. Club members sponsored Jason and he raised over £2,000! On August 12th Reading Golf Club, held their Charity Day. Members paid to play in a competition, holes are sponsored by local businesses and individuals and other funds were raised through a tombola and cake stall. Around £7,000 was raised on this one day. As well as donating money, the members also very generously donated most;y new toys to our Toys and Teens Appeal last Christmas. Some of the donations came from an event organised by Alex, Junior Captain. Cathy and Hilary held their 'Swansong Dinner' on Friday 1st March where they presented Ruth Perkins, Fundraising Manager for Reading Family Aid, with the enormous (in both senses of the word!) cheque for an astonishing £12,225. Cathy and Hilary summed up their year and said some very nice things about the work of Reading Family Aid. Ruth thanked everyone for supporting Cathy and Hilary in their fundraising efforts and for helping to put so many smiles on the faces of disadvantaged children in Reading.
We discussed the extraordinary photograph of the Reading skyline on the wall. He explained that it is a montage of a number of photographs because if you look closely you can see that some buildings are not really in the correct position! The evening closed with a vote of thanks from Wendy Howell, Chair. She thanked Cllr Page not only for hosting a lovely evening and his hospitality but also for his support of the Toys and Teens Appeal and his recognition of the work we do. The evening and this recognition was much appreciated and the by the whole team.
In January the Reading Family Aid team enjoyed a meal at Quattro Restaurant to celebrate a very successful 2023 Toys and Teens Appeal. Thank you to Quattro’s for hosting us and serving up such delicious food! And thank you again to everyone who donated or supported our Toys and Teens Appeal in any way - it has made such a difference to local families. (The meal was paid for using our personal money - you can rest assured that every penny donated to Reading Family Aid goes to the children and families who need it )
On 2nd January we took 100 family members from Homestart Reading, Homestart Wokingham, Alana House, The Weller Centre and Reading Children’s Centres. Everyone had a great time. Then, on the following day another 40 Alafia, Christ the King school and Fifi’s Vision attended the relaxed performance. Here is some of the lovely feedback we have received: From Fifi’s Vision “Everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves. It was perfect family time and respite especially as Christmas can be an overwhelming and lonely time for many who are isolated and face barriers participating in festive traditions.” One Mum said: “ wonderful for my daughter to see the Panto. The atmosphere was very friendly” And another mum from Alafia said “Big thankyou to Alafia and Reading Family Aid for providing the tickets for my family. We all had a good time and quality time together as a family”. It has been another successful year for the Toys and Teens Appeal! On Sunday 2nd December we began to clear the anonymous church hall in Reading ready for a busy week ahead of collecting all the toys which have been donated over the last few months. After a difficult 2022 for Reading Family Aid's Toys and Teens, this year reminded the community how important the appeal is to children living in Reading. 668 sacks were filled to go to 2480 children throughout Reading and surrounding areas. This is thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the many, many individuals from Reading (and beyond), clubs, societies, places of worship and businesses. Because of so many people's kind donations and funding we provided each child with at least four presents each. As well as donations of presents, many individuals contributed money to our GoFundMe page. Currently we have received over £3000 in donations, which our RFA volunteers used to shop for toys or gifts, particularly for the older age groups who are less likely to be bought presents, which ensures each child has a few toys or gifts to open on Christmas Day. If you haven't got round to donating yet there is still time - our GoFundMe is open for donations until Dec 24th - please follow the link here. Just to mention a few organisations:
Reading Golf Club who organised a huge collection from their members and the Junior Captain, Alex, organised a collection amongst themselves. Alex said "“The Juniors heard about Reading Family Aid when it became the Club charity at Reading Golf Club earlier this year and I thought we could help raise awareness of the situation of young people who will not be as lucky as us this Christmas by holding a Junior Competition at The Caversham. Fourteen juniors took part along with senior members and we were all happy to be able to help the Toys Appeal with our donations‘“.
and some of the schools and churches who organised their own collections .... Thank you! Without the kindness and generosity of collections, donations and volunteering from individuals, businesses, churches, schools and community groups, to numerous to mention, the Appeal wouldn't have been half as successful as it was. We must also thank all the organisations who donated tables for us to use throughout the week: St Barnabas Church Hall in Emmer Green, Our Lady and St. Anne's Church in Caversham, Caversham Hall and 89th Scout Group. As well as the amazing Church Hall where we do all the work each year (you know who you are!), and donate the use of the hall for the whole week. Thank you! Checking, sorting and packing the toys and gifts would not be possible without all of our amazing volunteers, many of whom turn up year after year to help. Thank you to all of you! A huge thank you also goes to all the van drivers who collected and returned the tables, collected all the donations from the donation points, and the companies, school and places of worship who had in-house collections. They also delivered the 668 packed sacks to 95 requesting organisations, travelling all over the Reading area. So the Toys and Teens Appeal comes to an end for another year.
It was another successful year, putting more smiles on children's faces across Reading. Thanks to everyone's help - see you in 2024! GoFundMe link. Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal is coming to a close! This weekend hundreds of volunteers will gather to pack bags of gifts for disadvantaged children in Reading. But there is still time to donate a gift to any of the donation points in and before 2nd December. Any gifts will be given to children on Christmas day, who otherwise won’t receive anything this year. This year 92 organisations have asked for presents this year for 2401 children, all of whom will go without any presents without the support of the toy appeal. Laura Windisch, Head of the Toy Project, said “Many people, when they think of buying a child a present at Christmas have in mind a young child, perhaps 4 or 7 years old. But his year, almost half the children we will be supporting are aged between 10 to 16. So gifts for those slightly older children – books, games, make up, sports equipment, arts and craft materials, vouchers, electronic items such as earphones – will be especially welcome if you are thinking of making a last minute donation to the Toys and Teens Appeal. Please if you can spare a gift, or you would rather donate to our Go Fund Me, anything you give no matter how small, will make a child’s Christmas so special. Thank you”. The charity would also like to thank its kind supporters, who give to the appeal year after year, its donation points who tirelessly accept and organise gifts, as well as its sponsors: The Reading Chronicle, Caversham Vehicle Hire, Big Yellow Storage and The Masons. The appeal is collecting donated new and nearly new toys from 34 donation drop off points up until 2nd December. The charity is also raising funds through a Go Fund Me online to buy gifts for children to open on Christmas day. Please if you would like to donate do so as soon as you can! To support the campaign you can donate a gift to the drop off points here. More details on what can be donated can be found here. If you cannot donate a gift the campaign also has an online GoFundMe page to help buy new presents for age groups that receive less donations each year. Thank you We are sorry to say that Vera Box has sadly passed away. Vera got involved in Reading Family Aid back in the 1970s at Katesgrove House and stayed as an active member until the last few years, even after her 90th birthday! She was the heart and soul of the charity and believed passionately in the importance of the work that we do. It was Vera that was the driving force behind getting us registered as an official charity with the Charity Commission in 1993. Wendy Howell, Chair of Reading Family Aid said "Vera was like a mother to us all when we joined the committee. Very welcoming. She always had a smile. She delighted in organising the Earley Green Fair as she had "connections" and always got us a good spot! I fondly remember her 90th birthday in my garden. Ruth Perkins, Fundraising Manager said "Vera was the one that persuaded me to join the charity more than 20 years ago. She had a way of smiling at you that meant you had no choice but to go along with what she wanted! She was determined to get things done and was a firm believer in the idea that you had to keep busy otherwise you would decline. She certainly kept going, working not only with Reading Family Aid, but also with other groups and campaigns in her local area until she was into her 90's. We have missed her smiling face and can do attitude these last few years." Joe Wise who worked at the Reading Chronicle in the late 1990s/early 2000s said "Vera was such a lovely lady to work with over many years. When I was at the Reading Chronicle my annual assignment to promote the Christmas toy appeal was a real highlight of the year for me. She was always a delight and full of friendly humour. Her funeral service is at Easthampstead Park Crematorium on Tuesday 5th December 2023 at 11:30am. Vera's family are inviting people to make a donation in Vera's memory to Reading Family Aid at https://verabox.muchloved.com/ Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal is back for another year, sponsored by The Chronicle. This year the appeal is accepting new and nearly new toys at 34 donation points across Reading and the surrounding areas. These toys and gifts will be distributed to disadvantaged children in Reading and the surrounding area, ready to be opened on Christmas day. Ruth Perkins, Fundraising Manager for the charity said: “There are more and more families finding themselves in difficulties, families that prior to the cost of living going up so dramatically were manging just about and are now finding they can’t manage. There are many families every week becoming homeless being put up in B and Bs or hotels. It’s astonishing in a town like Reading which seems on the face of it quite an affluent place. In these families the kids go to school, they talk to their friends about what they hope to get for Christmas. These kids without all of the people that support us, they wouldn’t get anything. And that’s really tough to go back to school after the Christmas holidays and say I didn’t get anything for Christmas”. The appeal could not happen without the support of countless local companies, whose staff go out of their way to help disadvantaged children enjoy Christmas. One such company is Roc Search, who have been supporting the appeal for an incredible seven years! Trevor Doran, Chief Growth Officer said: “Our partnership with Reading Family Aid over the last 7 years is something we are all incredibly proud of here at Roc Search – which is why we are once again supporting their efforts this year. Witnessing the profound impact their Toys & Teens Appeal has on countless disadvantaged children and families in the local community is truly inspiring. By supporting them in their efforts to collect these toys and donations, we are helping to create cherished Christmas memories for those in need. It’s an honour to be a part of. As a business we’ve been able to collect thousands of toys over the years thanks to the generosity of our employees, clients and friends. We encourage as many people as possible to get involved and help make this holiday season brighter for all!” The appeal has not yet reached its target for toy donations, and the charity is appealing to supporters and the public to please help this Christmas. Anything gift you give will make a huge difference to the happiness of a child this year. The Toys and Teens Appeal 2023 is collecting new and nearly new toys from donation drop off points, as well as using funds from the Go Fund Me online to buy gifts for children to open on Christmas day.
To support the campaign you can donate a gift to the drop off points below - click here for more details on what can be donated. If you cannot donate a gift the campaign also has an online GoFundMe page to help buy new presents for age groups that receive less donations each year: Thank you During October half term (24th and 25th October), we organised an outing to Chessington and Thorpe Park for two groups of young people. Here are some of the thank-you's we received from this trip: "Just wanted to say a huge thank you, Darcy really enjoyed the day, it was a lovely experience for her, I enjoyed it too even though I didn't partake in any rides, she went on loads even on her own! We are definitely tired out and going to have a lay in this morning haha, it's amazing how knackering a day walking about in the crisp air can make you feel." "Thank you Reading Family Aid for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Skylar had a lovely day thank you." "Thank you so much for putting on these trips. I had 2 younger children on the Chessington trip and 3 secondary school children on the Thorpe Park trip. The kids have been wanting to go for years but as a family I could never afford to take them. Also the older children would find Chessington boring and the younger children would be scared at Thorpe Park so being able to allow all the children to do something suitable for their age range was amazing and we are forever grateful for the opportunity. Thank you from all of us." "Our Children have not stopped talking about Thorpe Park and the amount of fun they had, from the journey to the rides to the mazes to the journey home it was such an amazing day and this was definitely the highlight of their October Half Term."
Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal is back for another year, sponsored by The Chronicle. This year the appeal is accepting new and nearly new toys at 33 donation points across Reading and the surrounding areas. These toys and gifts will be distributed to disadvantaged children in Reading and the surrounding area, ready to be opened on Christmas day. One recipient tells of the difference the charity made to her Christmas in 2021. On 15th December, a day when Laura, a Grandmother, should have been celebrating her birthday, instead she found herself in hospital fighting for her life. All of Reading woke to the horrific news - a major fire had erupted in the flats in Rowe Court (Tilehurst). Laura who lived on the top floor had to escape the burning building in the middle of the night by jumping out of her living room window. Laura said “I saw smoke around me and everything went dark, it was then I thought what am I going to do? I didn’t have long to get out of the window. There were flames coming out of the communal window, and I knew I couldn’t escape that way. I decided, and jumped out of the sitting room window. I landed hard on grass and mud. I managed with the last breath in my body to call out to ask people to help me”. Laura was rushed to ICU in a critical condition with suspected broken Pelvis, hip, Collar bone, severe back injuries and potential internal damage. Laura has 17 Grandchildren and one great grandchild and even though everybody was happy that Laura was recovering she herself felt extremely down. The fire had destroyed all of her possessions along with all her presents carefully wrapped to give to her family on Christmas day. Reading Family Aid heard of her situation and came to the rescue. “The charity gave me presents to give to my grandchildren at Christmas, I couldn’t believe it. To know there’s some goodness in the world after what happened, I was in a dark place and I was so grateful for their help. To not have to worry meant everything to me. I can’t pay them back but I want to spread the word. It breaks my heart that there are children who won’t receive presents without the charity”. The Toys and Teens Appeal 2023 will be collecting donated new and nearly new toys from donation drop off points, as well as using funds from the Go Fund Me online to buy gifts for disadvantaged children to open on Christmas day. To support the campaign you can donate a gift to the drop off points here. More details on what can be donated can be found here. If you cannot donate a gift the campaign also has an online GoFundMe page to help buy new presents for age groups that receive less donations each yea. Thank you |
Our blogThis is where we share our news and inspiring stories of how people have supported us. Read previous newsletters here.
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